Knicks' Thomas settles sex harassment case

Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas have settled the sexual harassment case brought by a former team executive who had been awarded $11.6 million in punitive damages by a jury, both sides announced today.

APThomas

The deal came as compensatory damages were about to be added and as the executive, Anucha Browne Sanders, was preparing to return to U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where her description several weeks ago of her ordeal with the Knicks exposed the club's tawdry side, from its dysfunctional clubhouse to its star player's sexual exploits with a team intern.

Besides compensatory damages, the Knicks had been facing the possibility they might be ordered to pay what was likely to be millions of dollars in legal fees. By settling, the Knicks avoid that, while Brown Sanders gets her money faster and avoids the possibility of having her award reduced on appeal.

APBrowne Sanders

"I am extremely pleased that we have reached a settlement," Browne Sanders said in a statement. "The jury's verdict in this case sent a powerful and enduring message that harassment and retaliation at Madison Square Garden will not be tolerated. ... It has been a long journey, but I believe that justice has been done."

MSG said: "We don't feel any less strongly than we did throughout the entire episode. The outcome was a travesty of justice, and we vehemently disagree with the jury's decision; however, at the strong request of (the NBA commissioner) and in the interest of focusing on basketball, we can all agree that it is time for us to move on and put this issue behind us."

Thomas added: "As I have said before, I am completely innocent. This decision doesn't change that. However, this is the best course for Madison Square Garden, and I fully support it."

The settlement, whose terms were not immediately disclosed, means the end to legal proceedings in the case, which was supposed to resume before U.S. District Judge Gerard E. Lynch this week. The judge was set to decide how much Browne Sanders was owed in compensatory damages, a payout that usually involves lost wages and future loss of income.

Although Browne Sanders had demanded the right to resume working for the Knicks, one of her lawyers, Kevin Mintzer, said she will continue working at the University of Buffalo as the athletic director. Mintzer refused to divulge the amount of the settlement, as did representatives for MSG and the Thomas.

Because the jury was unable to reach a verdict on one of the accusations against Thomas, the possibility of another trial loomed. It would have brought with it another wave of negative publicity about the team and the off-court escapades that made the first trial a feeding frenzy for those interested in the inner workings of one of the National Basketball Association's most storied franchises.